From The Struggle to the Grey Cup game: Redblacks' Sherrod Baltimore a nice success story

EDMONTON — Coming from a way of life he calls “The Struggle,” Sherrod Baltimore could have long ago tumbled into the darkness of the harsh environment that surrounded him.

Imagine what being part of Grey Cup Week and playing in the Canadian version of a Super Bowl means to the 26-year-old Ottawa Redblacks defensive back whose childhood was spent bouncing from house to house — 12 times, maybe more — in the Washington, D.C., area, with mother Sharisse on welfare. There was never enough money, the ‘hood was dangerous — drugs, guns and gangs were everywhere. At age 12, Baltimore lost two teeth when he was pistol whipped and robbed.

“I come from nothing, I come from poor,” said Baltimore. “It was tough, man. I lived with grandma, my mom, my little sister. I was maybe seven or eight years old, one day we only had one can of soup for all of us. There was nothing in the refrigerator, it was empty. There was nothing in the cabinets except for plates, forks and knives. I opened that can of soup, I didn’t really like it and I threw it away. My mom was cursing me out, ‘We ain’t got nothing, that’s all we got to eat.’

“The temptation (to turn to crime, maybe sell drugs) was there every day. I’d go to school, then I’d go to football practice. Once I get home, it was about 7 o’clock. My friends would all have money in their pockets — hundreds of dollars. My mom had nothing to give me, we had no money. I wanted to go to the movies, I wanted to go hang out. My mom said, ‘No, we don’t have any money.’

“It’s the projects, you could get shot just walking out of your house. Imagine getting out of a car, having your key ready and having to run up to your house. (so you wouldn’t get shot). When you grow up in poverty, you could go left or right. You take a path. It’s basketball, it’s football, it’s rapping, you work for the government or you live in the streets. I took the right path. I resisted temptation. I’m a true testament, I’m living proof that you can get out of The Struggle — there’s a way. You just have to believe in yourself.”

Baltimore doesn’t know where his dad is and doesn’t really care. But he had people on his side, influences who helped him navigate a path away from the streets. His uncle Lennox, who works for Homeland Security, and a childhood buddy, well-known rapper Fat Trel, have long been around for support.

“You always have a male role model; my uncle was like a big brother,” said Baltimore. “He told me he would never judge me. He’d always tell me, ‘You’re going to be playing football on TV.’ He grew up in the same house as us, he was the first one to move out. We got evicted out of that house, he let us have his house. We got evicted out of that house, he let us move into another house. I try to do the right things. I don’t want to do the wrong thing. I know that would make him upset.”

Baltimore wants to take care of his mother, he wants to get her out of Section 8 housing in the middle of one of the most dangerous areas in Washington, he wants to make life easier for her.

“She’s still trying to make it, it’s still the same s–t,” he said. “I always tell her everything will be good. I’ll find a way to take care of her. Give me a few more years, I promise I’ll buy her a house and a car. I try and send her money when I get a cheque, to help take care of my (two) brothers and (four) sisters.”

There’s another woman in Baltimore’s life now, too. He’s got a girlfriend, Rim, who he met in Winnipeg last year at Earl’s Kitchen and Bar.

Baltimore is a man of faith. God, he says, has always watched over him, helped him do the “right things.” Earlier this season, Baltimore, named the Redblacks rookie of the year in 2017, was placed on the practice roster. From earning game cheques on a yearly salary of around $55,000, he was bumped down to about $700 a week, plus housing allowance. Baltimore could have asked for his release, he could have looked elsewhere and hoped for the bigger payday. But that’s not how he’s wired. He wanted to prove all over again that he deserves to be on the field. On Sunday, in the biggest game of his team’s season, he will line up at cornerback for the Redblacks against the Calgary Stampeders.

“Adversity, life is full of it,” said Baltimore. “You grow up in the projects, in the ‘hood, you have no food on the table, you get through that. You find out you’re going on the practice roster, you’re still getting paid, it’s better than nothing. You get through it. I talked to God. … God said (staying) was the right thing to do.”

On Baltimore’s chest, stomach and arms are tattoos, reminders of the people who are important to him, along with verses from the Bible. Messages like The Grind Don’t Stop and Walk by Faith, not by Sight are important to Baltimore, who hopes to get the words “The Struggle” inked onto his leg.

For a guy who came from The Struggle, winning a Grey Cup (and the $16,000 bonus and shiny championship ring that go with it) would be huge.

“I always got to championship games, but I’ve never won,” he said. “I want to show people you can beat the odds, you don’t have to be a statistic where you come from. Keep working, don’t give up on your dream. Believe in yourself. Football, this is what I dream of doing. I’m made for this.”

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